These terms govern your use of this website and the workshop services provided by Benson Stringz LLC, including repairs, restorations, setups and advice given at the bench.
Effective date: 1 January 2026
These Terms of Service form a binding agreement between you and Benson Stringz LLC. By visiting this website, submitting a message, booking an appointment, leaving an instrument at the workshop or accepting our services, you agree to these terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the website or the workshop services.
These terms apply together with any written estimate, invoice or intake note that we provide for a particular job. If there is a conflict between these terms and a signed written agreement for a specific project, the signed agreement will control for that project. Nothing in these terms removes rights that the law gives you and that cannot be waived.
Please read the whole document before you leave an instrument with us. The sections on authorisation, risk, collection and liability are especially important, because they describe how decisions are made while your instrument is in our care.
Benson Stringz LLC is a limited liability company that operates a stringed instrument workshop in Cottonwood Heights, Utah. Our bench handles the violin family, including violin, viola, cello and double bass, and the bows that are played with them. Our services include hand cut bridges and soundposts, fingerboard dressing and planing, peg fitting and neck resets, bow rehairs and recambering, varnish touch up and restoration, and player setups with tonal adjustment.
The workshop address for correspondence, appointments and collections is 3287 E Bengal Blvd, Cottonwood Heights - 84121-5306, United States (US). The telephone number is +12709473257 and the email address is studio@bensonstringz.buzz. Messages sent to any other address or number are not official communications, and we cannot guarantee that they will reach the bench.
You must be at least eighteen years old to enter into a repair agreement on your own behalf, or you must have the involvement of a parent, guardian or other authorised adult. Information about a child instrument should be provided by the responsible adult, who remains the contact for the job.
If you bring an instrument that belongs to someone else, you confirm that you have authority from the owner to authorise the work and to agree to these terms. This is common for teachers acting for students, for ensemble managers and for family members handling an estate. We may ask for written confirmation of that authority before beginning work on an instrument of significant value.
You also confirm that the instrument has not been reported stolen and that it is not subject to a legal dispute that would prevent us from carrying out the requested work. If we have reason to believe that an instrument is stolen, we may contact the authorities and will not return it to a person who cannot show lawful title.
We provide written estimates that describe the work, the materials and the expected price. An estimate is a considered opinion based on the condition of the instrument at the time it is examined. It is not a fixed price unless we describe it as a fixed quotation, because hidden problems are a normal part of instrument repair.
If, during the work, we discover a condition that materially changes the job, we will stop and contact you before continuing. A new estimate will be provided, and no additional charge will be incurred without your approval. If you cannot be reached, the instrument will be made safe and held until a decision is made.
Verbal estimates are given in good faith but are not binding until confirmed in writing. Prices shown on this website, if any, are indicative and may change as material costs and workload change. The current written estimate for your job is the document that governs the price.
All intake, progress checks and collections are by appointment. Please arrive at the agreed time so that the bench is free and the instrument can be examined without haste. If you are delayed, call +12709473257 as soon as possible so the schedule can be adjusted.
At intake we examine the instrument, record its condition, take photographs where useful and discuss the requested work. We ask you to point out any existing damage, however minor, so that the intake note is complete. Damage that is not recorded may later be hard to distinguish from damage that occurred in our care, which is why this step matters to both sides.
Please bring the case, the bow, the shoulder rest and any accessories that affect the fit of the instrument. If you are booking a setup, bring the bow you actually play with, because a setup tuned to different equipment may not suit you in practice.
Musical instruments are made of thin wood, old glue and brittle varnish, and they carry stresses from years of string tension. Some procedures carry inherent risks that cannot be eliminated even with careful work. These include varnish loss during glue clean up, small colour differences after touch up, movement of an old repair, and damage to an already weak area when a joint is opened.
Cracks, open seams and old repairs can be more extensive than they appear on the surface. A repair that looks simple may reveal a previous repair in poor condition, and that discovery can change both the plan and the price. We will explain the risk for your instrument at intake and will not proceed with a procedure that carries an unacceptable risk without your informed approval.
Old instruments may also be sensitive to changes in humidity and temperature after they leave the workshop. We will give care advice at collection, and we ask you to follow it. Damage caused by extreme conditions after collection is not covered by our workmanship guarantee.
Bridges, soundposts, pegs, fingerboards, nuts and bow hair are selected for the instrument in front of us. We may use new or aged stock, and the exact appearance of natural materials will vary. Colour and grain matching is done with care, but an exact match to an older part may not be possible, especially on an instrument with a long history of repairs.
Where a replacement part is needed, we will describe the grade and the source in the estimate. If you supply your own part, we will examine it before use and may decline it if it is not suitable. We do not warrant parts that we did not supply, and any warranty on such parts rests with the supplier.
Parts removed during a repair remain your property unless you tell us to dispose of them. We will keep them for the period described in the collection section and will return them on request. Some small items, such as old strings or worn hair, may be discarded unless you ask us to retain them.
Turnaround times are estimates and are given in good faith based on the current queue and the expected complexity of the job. A straightforward setup may be completed in a single appointment, while bridge and board work usually takes several days and restoration projects can take months.
We will keep you informed if a job is likely to take longer than the estimate. Causes of delay can include hidden damage, the need for a specialist referral, a shortage of a specific material or a seasonal rush of school instrument work. We will not rush a delicate repair to meet a date if doing so would compromise the instrument.
If a deadline is critical, for example before an audition or a tour, please tell us at intake. We will say honestly whether the date can be met and will not accept a booking that we cannot reasonably complete.
Fees are based on the written estimate and on the actual work performed. Payment is due at collection unless other arrangements have been agreed in writing. We accept the payment methods shown on the invoice, which may include card, bank transfer and other methods agreed at the bench.
For larger restoration projects, a deposit may be requested before work begins and progress payments may be scheduled at agreed stages. Deposits are applied to the final invoice. If a project is cancelled after materials have been ordered, the deposit may be used to cover those materials and the time already spent.
Invoices that remain unpaid may attract reasonable administrative costs and interest where the law allows. We will always contact you before taking any step to recover a debt, and we would much rather discuss a payment plan than pursue a formal process. Please talk to us early if a payment is difficult.
We will contact you when an instrument is ready for collection. Please arrange a collection appointment promptly so that the bench and the storage area remain available for other instruments. Instruments may be collected only by the person named at intake or by someone who has written authority from that person.
We store instruments in a controlled workshop area and take reasonable care of them while they are with us. Storage is included for a reasonable period after completion, normally fourteen days. After that period, a modest storage charge may apply, and we will tell you before it begins.
If an instrument is not collected within a longer period, we will make repeated attempts to contact the owner using the details on file. If those attempts fail, the provisions on uncollected instruments below will apply.
We understand that life can interrupt the best intentions, and we will always try to resolve an uncollected instrument with a conversation. If an instrument remains uncollected for an extended period after completion and after at least two written notices, we may take steps permitted by law to recover the outstanding balance.
Such steps may include a warehouse lien or another lawful remedy available in the State of Utah. Before any such step, we will provide a final written notice describing the amount owed, the deadline and the action proposed. Instruments will not be sold or disposed of without the notice required by applicable law, and any surplus after costs and the outstanding balance will be handled as the law directs.
Please contact us rather than allowing an instrument to sit uncollected. A short conversation is almost always enough to arrange collection, a payment plan or another solution.
To the fullest extent permitted by law, Benson Stringz LLC is not liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages arising out of the services or the use of this website, including lost profits, lost opportunities or loss of use of an instrument. Nothing in these terms limits liability for fraud, wilful misconduct, death or personal injury caused by negligence, or any other liability that cannot lawfully be limited.
Where liability is not lawfully excluded, our total liability for a claim relating to an instrument is limited to the amount the owner paid for the work that gave rise to the claim, or to the reasonable replacement value of the instrument, whichever is lower. This limit does not apply where the law requires a different result.
We carry out work with professional care, but we cannot guarantee a particular tonal result. Musical instruments are individual objects, and a player may respond differently to a setup than expected. We will work with you to adjust a result that does not suit, and our workmanship guarantee describes how that process works.
You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Benson Stringz LLC, its members, employees and agents from claims, losses, costs and reasonable legal fees arising from your breach of these terms, from information you provide that is false or misleading, or from your lack of authority to authorise work on an instrument.
This indemnity does not apply to the extent that a claim results from our own negligence, breach of these terms or violation of law. It is intended to cover situations such as a dispute between co-owners of an instrument or a claim brought by a person whose consent was required but not obtained.
If a claim covered by this section is made, we will notify you promptly and give you the opportunity to participate in the response, provided that our own legal and operational decisions remain under our control.
We stand behind our workmanship. If a repair performed by Benson Stringz LLC fails because of a defect in our work within ninety days of collection, we will examine the instrument and correct the defect at no charge. This guarantee covers the quality of our work and the fit of parts we supplied, and it does not cover normal wear, accidental damage or changes caused by humidity and temperature extremes.
To make a claim under this guarantee, contact us at studio@bensonstringz.buzz or call +12709473257 as soon as the problem appears. Please do not attempt a repair yourself or take the instrument to another workshop before we have had the chance to examine it, as this may make it impossible to determine the cause.
If we agree that the work has failed, we will complete the correction within a reasonable time. If a correction is not possible, we may offer an alternative remedy such as a partial refund or credit, in discussion with you. The guarantee does not extend the original collection date except for the period during which a covered correction is being made.
Please do not leave valuables in an instrument case. Jewellery, cash, electronic devices and personal documents should remain with you. We are not responsible for items that are not part of the instrument or its normal accessories, and we cannot insure them.
Owners of valuable instruments are encouraged to maintain their own insurance cover, including cover while the instrument is at a workshop. We can provide a written receipt and a condition note to support a claim, but we do not act as an insurer and do not provide valuation services for insurance purposes.
If an instrument is damaged while in our care, we will notify you promptly and work with you and your insurer to resolve the matter. We will document the condition and the circumstances and will cooperate with a reasonable investigation.
The text, layout, photographs, illustrations and workshop marks on this website are owned by Benson Stringz LLC or used with permission. You may view and print pages for your own personal use and for the purpose of discussing work with us. You may not copy, republish or use the content for commercial purposes without written permission.
Photographs of your instrument remain your property, and we will not publish an image of a customer instrument without permission as described in our Privacy Policy. Any measurement notes, methods and internal documentation created by the workshop remain the property of Benson Stringz LLC, although you may request a copy of the record for your instrument.
Names of other companies and products mentioned on the site may be trademarks of their respective owners. Their appearance does not imply endorsement or sponsorship.
You agree to use this website lawfully and respectfully. You may not attempt to gain unauthorised access to the site or its systems, interfere with its operation, introduce malicious code, scrape content at scale or use the contact form to send spam, threats or unlawful material.
We may suspend or restrict access to the website if we believe it is being misused. We may also remove or refuse any message that is abusive, fraudulent or unrelated to the workshop. These steps are taken to protect customers, staff and the integrity of the site.
The website is provided on an as available basis. We may change, suspend or withdraw any part of it at any time, and we do not promise that every page will be free of errors or available without interruption.
Some work may involve third party services, such as courier delivery, payment processing or a specialist referral for a bow or a conservation treatment. Those services are provided under the terms of the relevant third party, and we are not responsible for their acts or omissions beyond the care we take in selecting and instructing them.
Where we arrange a courier on your behalf, risk in transit is governed by the courier terms and by any insurance that has been purchased. We will discuss shipping options and insurance before an instrument is dispatched, and we will not ship a valuable instrument without appropriate protection unless you instruct us in writing.
Links from this website to third party sites are provided for convenience. We do not control those sites and are not responsible for their content, availability or privacy practices.
Our handling of personal information is described in the Privacy Policy, which is part of these terms. By agreeing to these terms, you acknowledge that you have read the Privacy Policy and understand how information is collected, used and retained.
The Privacy Policy explains the rights available to you, how to request access or deletion and how long records are kept. If you have a question that is not answered there, please contact the workshop at studio@bensonstringz.buzz before submitting personal information.
We are not responsible for a delay or failure to perform caused by an event beyond our reasonable control. Such events may include severe weather, fire, flood, power failure, illness, a shortage of essential materials, a transport disruption or a change in law. We will notify you as soon as possible and will take reasonable steps to reduce the effect.
If an event beyond control continues for an extended period, either party may end the arrangement for the affected work. You will be responsible for work already completed and for materials ordered specifically for the instrument, and we will return the instrument and any removed parts without unnecessary delay.
These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Utah and the applicable laws of the United States, without regard to conflict of law rules. Any dispute that cannot be resolved through discussion will be subject to the jurisdiction of the state and federal courts serving Salt Lake County, Utah.
Before starting a formal process, we ask you to contact us with a clear description of the issue so that we can try to resolve it directly. Most concerns about a repair can be settled at the bench, and a conversation is usually faster and less costly for everyone involved.
If any provision of these terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, that provision will be limited to the minimum extent necessary and the remaining provisions will continue in full force. A failure to enforce a provision on one occasion does not waive the right to enforce it later.
We may update these terms from time to time to reflect changes in the workshop, in the law or in the way we work. The effective date at the top of this page shows when the current version began to apply. Material changes will be described on this page so that visitors can see what has changed.
For work already booked, the terms in force at the time of the booking will apply unless a change is required by law. Continuing to use the website or the workshop services after an update means that you accept the revised terms.
If you do not agree with an update, you may stop using the website and speak with us about any instrument currently at the bench so that a sensible arrangement can be made.
If you have a question about these terms, an estimate, an invoice or work already carried out, please contact the workshop. We aim to reply to written enquiries within two business days.
Benson Stringz LLC
3287 E Bengal Blvd
Cottonwood Heights - 84121-5306
United States (US)
Email: studio@bensonstringz.buzz
Phone: +12709473257
Please keep a copy of your intake note and your final invoice. Together they describe the condition of the instrument, the work authorised and the amount paid, which is useful for insurance and for any future repair.